Firefight Series
by Clockwork Calamities
Summary: One day, a stallion by the name of Quartz was leaving his mundane job at the Hoofington Museum for a festival. However, panic and chaos comes soon, as the comet that everyone has come to watch becomes their worst nightmare.
1. Day of Fire

In times like these, the days where war is no longer between armies, but between one another. It all started on that fateful day when fire rained from the sky and order fell to chaos. The Day of Fire, the start of war.

Hoofington Memorial - 19:32 Hours

My name is Quartz Brine. I'm eighteen years old, and I graduated from school just last year. I entered into training for guard duty at the place, but instead got a nice job as a security guard. I just wish that I would've stayed out of law enforcement altogether.

It was my first day on the job, working at the Hoofington Memorial Museum. I was a new security guard on duty and my job was simple; keep intruders out of the Museum. The day was turning out to be boring as I suspected when the Museum's intercom buzzed and crackled to life.

"Attention all staff of the Hoofington Memorial Museum, we have an important announcement for all of you. It has been noted that tonight, a comet will fly directly over Hoofington, and will not return for another 1000 years. All staff are allowed to leave early to see this once in a lifetime event come to life." blared the intercom.

I smiled, not being able to remember my last shortened day from work. I had my standard issue pistol holstered in case of a robbery, and I was required to keep maintainence on it to a regular basis, and thus, I must keep it with me at all times. I put my pack of extra supplies inside my locker, keeping my extra clips with me, and headed out the door to see the comet.

Hoofington Town Square - 21:00 Hours

I stepped into the town square, looking up at the night sky, hoping to see the comet, but unable to see anything of the sort. I sat down, looking at the stars while I waited for the comet to show itself.

I had a packed lunch with me from earlier that I never got around to eating, so I brought it with me to the square. Nothing is as good as a sandwhich and an apple, especially on cold nights like this. But, I noticed that one thing was off; it wasn't that cold. The weather had called for cold winds, but there was almost no chill in the air at all.

I looked up and saw the comet, my misgivings being dismissed so I could watch the spectacular cosmic phenomenon, something that I would never see again in this life. It took me a moment to realize it, but the comet seemed a bit bigger than it was supposed to be.

Then I felt it; the burning heat. It was so hot that I ran to get inside, and it took a moment to click in my mind, by there was a burning hole in the ground in front of me. I turned and looked to the sky, fire falling down from above, hitting the ground with enough force to leave craters in the ground.

I heard ponies scream in agony and fear, ducking behind anything even seemingly safe, dying upon being hit with the monstrous heat of the flames raining from the sky. As I looked to the sky I saw a glint coming down; a huge amount of fire heading this way. I blinked as it closed the distance between us. It all faded to black.

***  
"Look to the skies my children, and see the flames of life and death. Remember these shining beacons of existence, and remember those you lost to them. Never forget their lives, and never let them fade." - Father Garnalus, 5th Artillery Chairman

Hoofington Crater - 01:34 Hours

I woke slowly, a deep searing pain in my side as I tried to get up, the ground burnt beyond recognition. I couldn't recognise any visible landmarks at first, but then I saw it; the Museum was still standing. I limped my way over, my right hind hoof damaged by whatever hit me.

My pistol was still holstered to my coat, but it was stuck in its holder. I was unarmed and couldn't see through some of the smoke. The feeling of death was all too noticable in the air, but I couldn't see anything dead or alive.

I made it to the Museum's door and was surprised to find it locked. I hadn't thought anyone else was inside when I left to see the comet come down, and I was the only security guard with keys to lock it from the outside. So, either I locked it without my keys, which were inside, or someone is inside and has locked me out.

I heard movement from inside, exhibits being smashed, desks being flipped, things like that. The sounds enraged me, but without my keys, I couldn't get into the Museum either way.

I walked away from the Museum's doors, hearing a low, growling noise from somewhere near by. I looked around, trying to pull my pistol from it's holster, but I was unsuccessful, even after pulling with all my strength. I looked around and grabbed a nearby pipe, raising it with my magic. I looked around and moved on.

Hoofington Square Remains - 02:00 Hours

I heard the growl a few more times before it finally stopped, whatever was making the noise seemed agitated at best. I had made it to the town square when a dog attacked me! It seemed strange though. It appeared to be a brown dog with some white fur too. It appeared to be a healthy dog at first glance, but it was glowing lightly.

The dog jumped at me, aiming for my throat. I quickly brought the pipe to bare, blocking the dog seemlessly. I took a swing at the dog with the pipe and struck it head on, cracking it's fragile skull in. It whimpered as the life drained from its eyes, collapsing onto the ground. I took off it's collar, reading the tag.

"Hmm? Wasn't this Applejack's dog, Winona? How the hay did she get here, and what's up with her? She was so cute while I was in Ponyville...rest in peace Winona. Good girl." I said, bowing my head to pray.

Hoofington Radio Tower - 06:15 Hours

The stallion stumbled over to the radio broadcast booth, a deep wound in his side being covered by a mere bandage, the sounds of scraping and scratching proceeding from down the hall behind him as he opened the door to the booth and stepped inside, shutting and locking it, though still unsure of his safety.

He sighed a breath of exhaustion and grabbed the microphone on the table of the booth, turning on the broadcast switch and enabling all frequencies to hear him. With a shuddering breath he spoke into the microphone.

"To everypony that can hear this broadcast, please send help immediately. My name is Neon Lights, and I am trapped at the Hoofington Radio Tower. I'm not sure if anypony can hear me, but if you can, run. Hoofington is no longer a safe place for pony kind. I have seen the things that are attacking us, and they are not peaceful. I saw my manager torn in half tonight, and my only solace is that I can warn all of you. Please, hurry and escape this mad town before we all die. Vinyl, if you can hear this, I'm sorry. There's not much time for me, but I need you to know that I love y-"

As he struggled to breath out the last word, he collapsed onto the floor of the broadcast booth, hidden behind the desk from any prying eyes. With his message sent, he slipped in a very-painful sleep.

End of Chapter One


	2. Radio Broadcast

"When the monsters rose up out of their hiding places inside our hearts, it was all over. The only difference we could make was delaying the end result. It was the best day I could have imagined for all of ponykind." - Bold Root, Author of "Doom's Upbringing"

Somewhere Over Canterlot - 18: 00 Hours

None of us knew what we were getting into when we boarded the assault carriage. We thought it was just more terroristic changeling attacks gone horribly wrong. Boy, I wish that was what was happening at the time.

We were a small team of Tactical Commandos, sent into Canterlot to find out the situation and cease it's completion. We were known as the Ironside Corps., due to our patented bulletproof armor that most of us wore, and the fact that our commander in-chief was known as "Ironsides" because of her relentless and almost horrifying ability to withstand pain.

Canterlot had been the place where the two princesses had lived, and was by far one of the biggest and busiest places in Equestria. It was a hot-spot for several different celebrations, including the Summer Sun Celebration, and was where some of Equestria's most socially-elite stayed. Whatever was happening was big if we were called in.

My name is Crimson Featherlight. I've been in the service of the Equestrian guard Special Operations Tactical Unit (SOTU) for two years. In that amount of time I've seen more than my fair share of death. I was put into action at the age of twenty-two years old, as I had shown an aptitude for tense situations, and my scores in all of my training courses had been just a little above average except for my marksmanship, which had been my best score in any of the categories. My first mission with the team was a terrorist activity call in Zebrica, and then after that I was stationed in Germaneigh for six months, tracking a contact of the Changeling Rebellion. I had seen foals and fillies that were tortured by changelings and even some stallions and mares that were beyond help. I had, for the first time in my entire life, felt anger and fear that almost completely consumed me. I had been captured by enemy forces and tortured with anything they could use to get me to talk; electroshock, burning, whipping, beating, water-boarding, and even starvation. During that time, my only thoughts were of those poor souls that had seen more pain and cruelty from my captors than anypony should ever have to endure. Now, less than five months later, I was put back in action with one order: find out what was wrong in Canterlot, and put a swift stop to it. If only things would be as easy as we all thought when we left the mission briefing that afternoon. But, as all of us were about to find out, this would be one of the worst missions we could have had the misfortune of being sent out on.

Loading Bay of The Dragon Tooth - 18:30 Hours

I walked into, what those of us in the SOTU called, "the pile", a small armory inside of the Special Operations vehicle, which housed all of our available weaponry, munitions, and armor that we were allowed to bring with us on our missions. It was a hangout of sorts, a place for us to joke around before a critical mission. Most of us did so wholeheartedly, as we all knew that it could be the last time we get to crack off a joke in this life.

Looking to my right, I immediately spotted the purple, straight mane of my dear friend, Night Shade. She was in this group only three months before I joined, and had earned a reputation as the only mare to ever make it into the SOTU at the age of seventeen. She looked dainty at a safe distance, but almost nobody in the entirety of the Special Operations squads would willingly get into a sparing match with her, or make any comment about her looks. She had gained the title "Wallflower" from her first assignment, where she snuck into a changeling hive, rescued our informant, and had then went to the lengths of blowing the place sky-high, all by herself, and undetected. As I looked, she was priming her favorite side-arm, a Glock that was loaded with 9mm pistol rounds, and had a reflex sight equipped for good measure. On her sides rested two combat knives, each one having probably been sharpened to a diamond edge.

"Hey there Shade,", I said, smiling as she turned her attention to me and then gave me her drop-dead amazing smile. "how's your gear lookin'?"

"Fine. I'm just doing some much needed checks on my special equipment. Care to take a look?" asked the purple maned mare, an immediate smile coming to my face. This mare really needed to learn how to phrase things, and soon.

"Naw, I don't know how you prefer your equipment, and I still gotta load up before we go in. You know what they say at the end of each briefing," I started, getting ready to say the famous words of the commander.

"being ill-equipped makes you that much easier of a target to hit." said everyone in the room at once, eliciting a loud laugh from everyone present. I heard the deep, throaty chuckle of another one of my teammates come from my right.

I turned to my right and was met with the scruffy face of the heavy weapons expert of the team, Golden Trim, a very strong and muscular stallion who had come from Shratuul, a small province in the middle of Equigypt. He originally came to Equestria in search of his family, but enlisted into the guard after finding out that his family had been the victims of a changeling attack and had not survived. He's been in the service for over twelve and a half years, and probably has the most experience out of everyone on board. His favorite weapon, which he named "Miracle" in honor of his little sister, was a big, six-barreled, mounted machinegun that was attached to his sides, was polished and loaded with both armor piercing and hollow point rounds, that were meant to shred through anything that was in his way. He also carried a full belt of grenades strapped to his chest, and a pack of remote-detonated explosives that were inside of a small bag on his haunches. He smiled at me as he spoke.

"Well, well, if it isn't my old friend Crimson! You seem a little under-prepared for the mission, yeah?" he asked, joking about how I had so-far completely neglected gearing up for the mission.

I smiled back and replied to him, in a slow and almost insulting mimic of his voice, "Well, a big gun or a small gun doesn't matter, especially when all you gotta do is aim and fire."

He let out another throaty chuckle, the booming sound of his voice in the room making the place shake lightly.

"Oh, you're lucky that I'm your friend, or I woulda put you on the floor for that one!" he said, and for a second I thought he was serious. I had been trained for hoof-to-hoof combat, but I was not about to get into a fight with a stallion that was easily three times my size, and two times my muscle.

I smiled and walked over to the equipment rack, grabbing a small MP9 handgun from it's slot on the wall and looking it over. The MP9 was a standard issue handgun for anyone in the security business, and a personal favorite of mine, due to it's fifteen bullet magazine size, and the fact that it could be unloaded and reloaded with ease. I grabbed a standard issue equipment vest and slipped it on, clipping it to me and sliding the handgun into it's holster on my right side. Then, reaching up again, I grabbed a combat knife that slipped into it's sheathe very nicely and clipped that to my vest as well, and grabbing two spare magazines for my handgun. With that I was ready, and I grabbed a small pouch that contained medical supplies for injuries in the field. I was always carrying at least one pouch of them, no matter what the mission. As I turned back around, a light blinked on, and the speakers blared.

"Attention everypony! This is your captain speaking! We hope you enjoyed your time, but this flight is over. Please prepare to disembark." said the stallion over the microphone. We all knew what that meant; it was time to jump.

Canterlot Gardens - 18:45 Hours

I landed softly on the ground, smiling as I looked around the Canterlot Gardens, breathing in the air. However, the second I breathed in, I almost wretched. The air was not scented with the delightful smell of the flowers planted here. The air carried the faint coppery taste of blood on it. I had known this smell well, and had almost become used to it, but not in Canterlot. Something was definitely not right if the smell of blood was overpowering the normally strong-scented flowers.

I drew my handgun from it's holster, turning the safety off. There was something wrong here, no doubt about it. I wasn't the only one who noticed either, as Night Shade and Golden Trim both crouched low and followed behind me. I edged around a corner and recoiled at what I saw. There, in plain view, lay four ponies, barely identifiable because of the shape of them.

Each of them had been torn open, their entrails laying on the ground, and what appeared to be bite marks were all over their bodies. One of them had had his skull cracked open by his attackers, and his blood and grey matter pooled into a mush on the ground nearby. The most disturbing thing of all though was that they all wore the symbol of royal guard elites. Whoever or whatever had done this had taken out for elite guard members, torn them apart, and then left them in the open. It was cruel, sadistic, and animalistic. The others stepped around the corner and shocked gasps were heard as they also must have been spooked by the horror before them. This was no ordinary murder; this was a slaughter.

SOTU Command - 18:00 Hours

The radio turned on, a shaky voice coming from the other end, as all the heads in the room turned toward the small device.

"To everypony that can hear this broadcast, please send help immediately. My name is Neon Lights, and I am trapped at the Hoofington Radio Tower. I'm not sure if anypony can hear me, but if you can, run. Hoofington is no longer a safe place for pony kind. I have seen the things that are attacking us, and they are not peaceful. I saw my manager torn in half tonight, and my only solace is that I can warn all of you. Please, hurry and escape this mad town before we all die. Vinyl, if you can hear this, I'm sorry. There's not much time for me, but I need you to know that I love y-", which ended abruptly with a thud on the other end, and then the signal went dead.

"Wait, Hoofington?" asked several ponies in the conference room at once, all looking around and talking about the radio message.

One stallion stood up and spoke louder than the others in the room, his voice bellowing in comparison with the others.

"What are we gonna do about _this_? Clearly, Hoofington is in danger! We need to send some help ASAP!" yelled the stallion, his voice filled with anger.

The mare at the other end of the conference table smiled, her charcoal colored mane flittering down past her shoulders, her eyes a bright emerald hue.

"Somepony is already there. Whatever the issue is in Hoofington, I truly feel sorry for it's instigator. Because,"

Hoofington Residential Area - 18:15 Hours

A grey pony with cold eyes trotted down the street, a knife at her side and a gun holstered to her vest. The mare continued to walk down the street, the dead corpses of the monstrousities that had attacked her laying on the ground in puddles of their own blood.

"Captain "Ironsides" Hooves is currently in Hoofington gentlecolts." said the mare with the charcoal mane. Everypony at the conference table fell silent. Whatever was happening in Hoofington, and whatever had caused it, was about to know true terror.

*** "There was nothing that could have prepared us for the dark times ahead, but in those darkest hours of our time, there were those that would fall and hide, and then there were the few who would stand before the path that fate had decided for us. Those who did not fall, but rather, they rose to a whole new light. These were the ones who would carve a path out of the granite-thick darkness, and would fight so that we may see the light once again." - Thorn Blackroot, Author of "In Darkness and Light" 

SODU Command - 13:00 Hours  
5 Hours Before Darkness

"So, I've filed the papers through, and you're cleared on your request to go to Hoofington tonight. We have issued you a personal ride there, and you have one week before returning to active duty." said the charcoal-maned mare, sipping coffee out of a cup in front of her.

"Thank you Commander Nightingale. I wish to see the comet this year, as I may never get a chance like this again." said the grey mare in front of her, saddle bags filled with vacation apparel, and her gear.

"There is no need to thank me Ironsides. You've more than earned this leave from work, and I see no better occasion for a trip. They say that the comet is one of the most beautiful things you can see in this life." said Commander Nightingale, her charcoal colored mane pulled back into a ponytail.

"I wholeheartedly agree. I just wish you would take me up on my offer to accompany me. You're always stressed from working so hard, and it makes me wonder if you shouldn't try to come with still." said Ironsides, her eyes fixating themselves on the mare sitting across the desk.

"I would if I could. Old friends like me and you don't often get chances to just relax and talk, especially in our particular jobs, but if I took a day off of work, Celestia knows what would happen around here. They'd probably put some no-brains stallion in charge of this post, and I'd rather eat my own hoof than watch some plothole tell my troops what to do." said Commander Nightingale, sighing lightly with a slightly amused smirk on her face.

"Yes, though really, next time I petition for a temporary leave, I insist that you come with. The short times when I get to talk to you are nothing compared to our long hours of discussion before we enlisted." said Ironsides, smiling in spite of herself.

"I agree. Either way, be sure to relax and enjoy yourself while you're away. It pains me to see you go on leave now, but everypony has their limits, and I don't wish to see any soldier, much less a dear friend of mine go through that." said Commander Nightingale, a slight look of sadness in her eyes.

"Okay Commander. But, if you change your mind, put in a form for both of us to have an extended leave, alright?" said Ironsides, brushing her light blond mane out of her eyes.

"Yes, I will be sure to. Say hello to your daughter for me, won't you? I heard her studies are going well, but please, bring back some news of how things are going for everyone." Commander Nightingale said, giggling lightly.

"I'll do that," said Ironsides, getting up and heading to the door before stopping abruptly, "oh, and Metronome," she started, "don't overwork yourself. Everypony has limits, and like you, I don't wish to see a soldier or a friend go through that." she stated before walking out the door.

Hoofington Residential Area - 18:15 Hours

Captain Ironsides pulled her combat knife out of the skull of another of her attackers, the sound of steel scraping against bone being slightly audible the whole time. She had left on a leave from work, only to wind up dealing with more fighting than before. The creature laying still at her hooves was no longer a pony, just a sick, demented, and disfigured being that showed little-to-no signs of ever being sentient. It made her stomach knot slightly as she thought about how mindlessly it had charged for her. It was almost, and she paused for a minute to think of the word, _animalistic_.

Captain "Ironsides" Hooves had enlisted while she was in her late thirties. She had shown a strange aptitude toward marksmanship, close-quarters-combat, and reflexes. She had no issues with killing an enemy combatant, even if they begged. She had no problems with staring death in the face. She had multiple times in fact. On her side she had a revolver with the name "Loveless" on it in gold lettering, and her primary weapon was her combat knife. She had a daughter who was enrolled in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns eight years prior to her enlisting, but she in now seventeen, while Ironsides herself is pushing forty-seven. She has seen more combat than most stallions in the SOTU, and has the medals, and title to prove it.

Ironsides held her knife close as she proceeded down the street, watching corners and back alleys for any signs of movement. She felt slightly reminiscent of her past mission to Zebrica five years prior to this, in how the enemies would attack her from the shadows to try and get the jump on her, but were bested once they got within close range. Not many changelings could put up a decent fight without magic, and she normally had them down within twenty seconds tops.

The streets had a slightly heavy fog, and every once in a while she could hear the sounds of screams being cut short. Every time she heard one she saddened slightly, feeling unable to do anything except stay on course with her objective, the Hoofington Radio Tower. She had brought her radio with her on her trip, hoping to use it for music, but instead picked up a signal from the Broadcast Tower calling for help. She saw that as her primary objective, and it would give her someplace to go and hopefully find out some useful information.

She rounded the corner and came face-to-face with a stallion that was holding a blood-covered lead pipe. He recoiled at the sight of her and stepped back, readying the pipe for attack. She smirked at him.

"I'd lower that pipe if I were you. I don't know what you've seen, but if I was gonna kill you, you'd be dead by now." said Ironsides, staring down the strange stallion. He was wearing a security uniform with the insignia of the Hoofington Museum on it, and he had a handgun, though it seemed that the holster had been busted in and kept it from being drawn. She sighed at this and thought of a certain charcoal-maned pegasus who had the same problem once or twice.

The stallion lowered the pipe, but remained cautious, looking her over. He noticed the revolver and combat knife and then finally decided that she was right and lowered his weapon.

"Sorry. Those _things_ are all over the place, and when I saw you I wasn't sure if they'd gotten to you or not. My name is Quartz. Yours?" asked Quartz, seeming to be a bit on edge over the whole thing, though who could really blame him? Ironsides sighed again before smiling at him.

"I'm Captain Derpy "Ironsides" Hooves of the Equestria Special Operations Tactical Unit. I'm here on leave from work, but with the state this place is in, I guess work followed me." she responded, listening for any sounds around them. She may be having a conversation, but these enemies wouldn't wait to hear anything. If she slipped up, they'd kill her.

"Wait, you're with the Special Ops?" asked Quartz, seeming confused. "No offense, but aren't you a little under-prepared for this job?"

"As I said, I was supposed to be here on leave from active duty. I'm only as prepared as I am because I take my job seriously, and prefer to have my gear working." replied Ironsides, nodding toward the broken holster and the handgun in it.

"Yeah. I got knocked out, and I guess I must have landed on the thing. Wouldn't do me much good anyway. I've never been a good shot." explained Quartz, his ears going down as he admitted his screw up.

"It's fine. I'm on my way to the Radio Tower right now. Somepony named Neon Lights is there, sent out a distress call over the airwaves. I figured I'd head there and find out what's going on so I can better understand the situation. What about you?" asked Ironsides, wondering about the stallion's plan.

"I'm gonna head to my house and grab some supplies. A first aid kit, and then I'll fix this holster with my tools." said Quartz, smiling.

"Good plan. You should head to the Radio Tower when you're done though. These things don't seem to have any morals, and will attack at any time, given the chance. Head there and we can meet up and plan something more thorough, okay?" asked Ironsides, concerned about the stallion's safety. He reminded her quite a bit of Commander Nightingale, and she wanted to save as many lives as possible.

"Alright Derpy. I'll meet up with you once I'm ready, and then we can put our heads together and figure this out. I'll gather up anypony else I meet on the way too. Never hurts to have a few more ponies around, especially when things go to shit." said Quartz, before he hurried off into the foggy streets again.

Ironsides watched him run before turning and proceeding down the street toward the old Hoofington Radio Tower, the big building coming into view slowly. Whatever was going on here, she would figure it out, even if it killed her.

Trottingham Airport - 18:00 Hours

"Are you sure about this Miss? I mean, Hoofington has been marked as a red flag zone. Going there could be dangerous." said the attendee at the desk.

"I'm positive. A dear friend of mine is in Hoofington, and I need to find him at any cost." said a mare with white fur and a blue mane.

"Well, then, I've prepared you a flight there in a small plane, with a driver who volunteered for this job specifically. Might I have your name Miss?" asked the attendee, looking at the mare expectantly.

"Scratch. Vinyl Scratch." responded the mare, a glint of fire in her eyes.

*** ***

Author's Note: The firefight series (yes, I mean this will not be the only one) is a story I wrote depicting the downfall of Equestria, and highlighting some of my own characters, as well as fan favorite characters. Now, I wrote this so that I could post it online, and I plan in advance for some things, but please, if you have any questions, suggestions, or anything else, please review this story. But please, don't review just to complain about my representations of the characters, or about any couples that I put together. The story has a dark feel to it, because the world is falling apart, and the characters would act differently. Also, I am truly sorry if your favorite character dies, but I will be killing off characters at least once every five to six chapters, and posts might take some time, as I personally spell check and write all of these, and have no stable internet connection at any given time. So, please enjoy the story as I continue to write, and tell me what you think.

Nightingale: You know, reviews aren't bad every once in awhile.  
Ironsides: Yeah, and it helps the story progress faster.  
Nightingale: I really do need a break from work...  
Ironsides: Well, please review everyone, so that me and Metronome here can finally have a vacation! 


	3. The Tower

"Of all the darkness that consumed our lives in those times, the worst of it was the loss of contact. We lost our technology, and we had to adapt. We had nothing and there was nobody that could help. It was our time to work harder for ourselves, and to protect our own. I intended to with all of my heart." - paragraph thirty-six, Fluttershy's Biography.

Somewhere Over Trottingham - 18:35 Hours

Vinyl Scratch watched as they got higher up off the ground, the plane's pilot staying quiet the whole time. She couldn't stop thinking about Neon, about whether or not he was safe, about the radio broadcast she had heard. She needed to break this silence.

"So, what's your name? I figure I might as well ask the name of the pony that decided to help me." said Vinyl, looking at the pony in front of her.

"You can call me Quill. As for helping you, I got reasons to head to Hoofington now too." said the pegasus named Quill, his hat sitting on his head even inside the cockpit of the plane.

"Quill, huh? Cool name dude. My name's Vinyl Scratch." said Vinyl, wondering what would make anyone go to Hoofington now.

"Nice to meet you, Vinyl Scratch. You're lucky you showed up when you did though, or I would have headed out alone." said Quill, chuckling lightly.

"I guess I am pretty lucky I showed up then." said Vinyl, giggling despite the situation. She needed to relax, she needed to talk, she needed to think of anything except Neon at the moment.

"You know, we're both flying into a huge shit storm at the moment." said Quill ominously, a coldness entering her voice, the tone seeming somehow more natural for him than anything. It was eerily similar to the voice of an inmate on tv that was going to be executed for murdering twenty-two ponies. Vinyl knew it wasn't him, but still, she remembered that tone well. After all, she almost died because of that same inmate.

"Why do you say that?" asked Vinyl Scratch, her voice shaking with anxiety and concern.

"I've seen a lot of wicked shit in this life Miss Scratch. I've seen ponies kill each other for money, power, and social standing. I've seen mothers and fathers throwing their children out into the cold so that there would be one less mouth to feed. I've seen friends tear each other apart because they were told to. I've lived long enough, and I've seen enough shit to know that what we're flying headfirst into is going to been a first class shit storm, and we'll be lucky to make it through." said Quill, his voice monotonous and cold. It reminded her all too well of the voice of that inmate. Of his cold eyes and his twisted sense of humor. Of Lyra, her wide eyed expression as he killed her in a slow and sadistic way. Of how Bonbon cried as she clutched her dead friend's body, trying to drag forth any life she could from her dead friend, like a chimpanzee baby trying to revive it's dead mother. It was horrifying, the memories making her almost cry.

"R-Really? You think it'll be that bad when we get there?" asked Vinyl, staring out the window.

"Do you want to turn back? Nopony would blame you if you were scared. Hell, I'm almost shaking up here just from knowing what kind of situation we're gonna be in. Do you wanna go back Miss Scratch?" asked Quill, a hint of sympathy in his voice, and then there was something else entirely. A knowing tone, like that of a teacher that knows you've done something wrong.

"No. I want, no, I need to go to Hoofington. I may be scared, but I have to get to Hoofington. I have to keep going." said Vinyl, looking at the back of Quill's head. She hoped that she got her point through.

"As you wish Miss Scratch. Oh, and just so you know, I think you're a very brave mare. Incredibly brave, considering the situation." said Quill, trying to comfort her, but Vinyl could hear something else in his tone. Something insincere. Something cold. Something _malicious_.

In the back of her mind, Vinyl told herself that she was wrong, but she now wished more than ever that she had never gotten on this plane. This stallion wasn't just mysterious, he was almost scary. He wasn't normal.

_"He's just like Killer."_ she told herself in the back of her mind, remembering the hallow gaze that had at one point met her eyes before he gutted somepony out of all his hostages. She knew this was going to be hell, and now, she was riding into it with a crazy pony at her side.

Outside Hoofington Radio Tower - 18:30 Hours

Ironsides walked toward the tower, the building being collosal in contrast to the much smaller buildings around it. It had been built so Hoofington could have a new tourist attraction, and since it was constantly broadcasting music, it gave everypony in Hoofington a source of music.

The sound of more of those abominations wasn't far off. They were feral in nature, so Ironsides had decided on a name for them; Hunters. They seemed to always be sniffing around like a hunter in the wild after it's prey, and they seemed more advanced than the less agile and less intelligent pony-like creatures that she had decided to call "Stumblers", after their shaky and erratic way of walking around aimlessly.

This would give her something new to contribute to the team, and would give them a way to identify their enemies. The stark contrast between the two different creatures makes them easy to identify, but this would give them a way to discuss the creatures and tell each other what to watch out for.

"Nrrrrr..." sounded a dull voice from behind her, much closer than she liked. It wasn't too far off at all, and she could tell it was getting closer.

With one swift movement, Derpy unsheathed her knife and ducked down, using her speed and strength to barrel under the creature, tripping it. As she got up, she whirled around and plunged the knife through the back of the creature's head, pinning it to the ground and killing it. She panted as she realized how close she had come to death. It wasn't unlike how she felt the first time she killed someone. A cold feeling, a wrongness that felt almost necessary. It was horrifying, but she smiled. Death was her partner in this life, and her one constant companion, always there, always watching, always waiting for her.

She looked at the tower as she pulled the knife out of the ground, and the creature that it had been plunged through. This was it. Time for answers.

As she walked up the steps to the tower, somepony, _something_, was watching her from a nearby alley out of slitted, red eyes. Something new, something primal, something _deadly_.

Hoofington Residential Area - 18:40 Hours

Quartz made his way to his house, the dead bodies of the previously killed abominations startling him at first, but then getting less and less unsettling after awhile. His house was a cream colored building that was in the middle of the residential area, a stark contrast to the buildings around it.

Quartz looked around before pulling out his keys and unlocking the door, slipping inside and locking it again. He wasn't sure about those things, and whatever they were, he didn't know what to expect.

He turned and looked around his living room, the lights off, but the candles he had lit previously still burning. It was a relief to him that he didn't have to go into the dark. If one of those things got inside and he was alone in the dark, he'd be dead pretty quickly, especially with a lead pipe being his only defense at the moment.

He walked forward into his living room, and saw his spare ammo sitting on the table. He gathered up the box and a few magazines, loading them before putting them in his coat pocket. He then pulled up a stool to his workbench and started to work on fixing his gun's holster, the thing jammed from the impact earlier.

Hoofington Radio Tower Main Lobby - 18:40 Hours

Ironsides looked around and was slightly taken aback by the condition of the tower's main lobby. There were broken and torn pieces of furniture laying around the room, and the reception desk had the remains of a pony's body laying on it. The body had been ripped in half from the bottom-up, and only the bottom half remained there.

She pulled out her handgun and looked around the lobby, listening for any sounds. She heard the slow movements of one of the Stumblers upstairs, and sighed as she heard nothing else. It was relieving to be out of the line of fire again, if only for a few minutes. She had to get going soon, even if it was going to put her in danger again. As she headed up the stairs, a colt turned the corner of the hall leading into the lobby, smiling as he saw her go upstairs. He turned on his earphone comm and spoke in a low and almost monotonous voice.

"All is going according to plan. I will follow my target as directed, and report when I learn anything new. Agent Vertigo, out." said the little colt as he turned off his earphone comm, smiling as Derpy disappeared upstairs.

"As of now, the game is on, and I've already got all the chips in my favor. Now, Captain Ironsides, it's time to play my game with you." said the colt, walking upstairs after Derpy.

Hoofington Radio Tower - 18:35 Hours

The small colt snuck around the business section of Hoofington's Radio Tower. He rifled through the papers inside of the desk of one "Juniper Leaf", and pulled out a note that was mostly in code. The colt smiled at the cryptic piece of paper in front of him and slipped it into his saddle bags, as he was instructed. He knew that what he held in his possession was very dangerous in the wrong hands. At least, dangerous to most ponies. The object he held in his possession was very dangerous indeed.

"Dangerous to my plans." he thought, calm and clear of any worries that might have affected any other ponies his age. He had been a trained killer, and he had been born with a cruel and sadistic lust for blood and the suffering of others. At age nine he had his name changed, and has been declared deceased for years. Now, five years later, he goes by the name Vertigo Dawn, an agent of his employers. He was unarmed, no firearm or weapon in his possession. He didn't need one, and he didn't care. All he cared about was that he was going to succeed in his plans, and nopony was going to stop him from succeeding.

As he left the business area, he stopped and heard the sound of hoofsteps. In his particular line of work, he had to learn to recognise and react to many different noises, from hoofsteps, to clocks ticking, to the sound of running water, and adapt to the situation at hand. More often than not, hoofsteps were bad, as they general signaled the movement of enemy combatants, such as changelings or royal guards, but this time, he knew what the sound was, and more to the point, the mare walking through the lobby as he looked around the corner.

It was Captain "Ironsides" Hooves, her yellow mane and tail, and cold, calculating eyes recognisable by anypony that saw her. Normal circumstances would have demanded her death immediately, but Vertigo knew that he couldn't do that yet. This mare was trained in combat, and was one of the best, but besides that, she was necessary for this mission.

As Ironsides went upstairs, Vertigo emerged and sent in his report to his superiors. They ordered him to gather more information on the situation at hand, and if necessary, to ally himself with Ironsides, if only to keep an eye on her and find out how much of a danger to the plan she might turn out to be. As he watched her head upstairs, he smiled and started to follow her. It didn't take much time for him to see her again, this time with a dead abomination at her hooves. He looked at the thing with a smile, realising what made Ironsides so instrumental to the entire operation. She would deal with any major issues, such as these abominations, and would be able to help him recover the documents they had lost.

This was his chance. One of the abominations walked up to him and groaned loudly. He let out a scream and Ironsides turned around and threw her knife into it's head, killing it quickly. "Good aim lady." said Vertigo, shaking lightly by his own will. He had learned to use his body to his advantage, and this was one of the perks. Ironsides drew closer and looked at him, smiling.

"You okay little colt?" asked Ironsides, an almost motherly tone to her voice. It was enough to almost make him puke at how nice she was. He was a complete stranger, yet she was being nice to him like a fool. A very skilled one, but still, a fool. He forced tears into his eyes, pretending to be scared.

"I-I can't find my dad... I got lost and so I came h-here, but th-they got him!" said Vertigo, bawling, a slight smirk hidden behind his hooves. This would be easier than he had previously thought. Much easier.

Quartz's House - 18:45 Hours

Quartz held up the fruit of his labor and stared at the holster, unbent, unrestricting, and unbroken more importantly. He was surprised at how good he had gotten at this sort of thing, seeing as he had never really cared before this.

He looked around his house and slipped his standard issue handgun into it's fixed holster, smiling as he admired his work. It was a strange feeling, taking pride in such a small, and normally insignificant thing. It was different, a little weird, and most of all, a good feeling.

He looked around and found a bag of apples from his little brother who had dropped them off a few hours ago. However, a noise outside caught his attention. A high pitched, horrifying cry of anger and confusion. But the thing that caught his attention was how loud it was. Whatever had made that noise was either very big, or very pissed off. He put the apples into his saddle bags and drew his handgun, grabbing a knife off the coffee table in the living room. It was time to regroup with Ironsides, and he needed to hurry.

Hoofington Airport - 18:45 Hours

The plane landed on the asphalt of the airport's landing strip. Vinyl climbed out and hurled on the asphalt, her stomach not used to being in the sky. Quill climbed out next and grabbed a handgun from inside the plane, looking grim as he thought to himself.

"We've arrived at our destination. Welcome to Hoofington. Welcome to hell." he said, looking at the handgun in his hoof. He turned and looked at Vinyl, who was finally done throwing up and she looked back at him.

"Where should we go?" asked Vinyl, looking around. She knew they should head to the Radio Tower, but she needed to know more, and have some idea of a plan.

"We should go to the Radio Tower. We don't have much time at this point. I have to go to the prison to find someone. Are you coming with, or would you rather go it alone?" asked Quill, looking into Vinyl's eyes, and seeing the fear at the idea of being alone here.

"I'm going with you. It's not safe for us to split up." said Vinyl, getting closer. She knew something was wrong and thought it through. She needed to have someone with her, in case something happened.

Quill smiled at her answer, and lifted his handgun, giving her a reassuring smile. It calmed her down a little and she got closer.

"Then, let's go. We got a long walk ahead of us, and a lot of trouble down the road." said Quill, and they started their long walk. As they did, a single thought went through Vinyl's mind. One thought that gave her the strength she'd need in the time to come.

"I'm coming Neon. Hold on just a little longer." she thought as the two of them started to walk down the street. Little did she know, there was somepony else watching. Somepony that was not as friendly as her new companion. Somepony who was ambitious, and willing to do anything to acheive their goals. Somepony wearing a bowtie.

Canterlot Gardens - 18:45 Hours

Crimson looked at the grim sight with disgust as he walked through the grass of the Canterlot Gardens, disemboweled ponies laying scattered along the ground. Some of them had expressions of fear, and some would never be known, because they lacked a face to make any sort of expression with. It was revolting, and horrifying.

As the three of them, Crimson, Shade, and Golden, they saw one pony, sitting and twitching among the bodies. Golden went over to them and nudged them.

"Hey. Are you okay? Do you need so-" he started, but was cut off as the pony turned and bit into his neck, tearing the flesh clean off. A hole was left in Golden's throat as he almost immediately collapsed, a low, bubbling whimper escaping him as he died.

Shade and Crimson raised their pistols and began firing, both of them scared and sickened by what they had seen. The pony had holes in it in mere moments, both of them panting as they drew close to their dead friend. Crimson's eyes welled up with tears and he started to shake as he looked at the gaping hole in his now deceased friend's neck. It was enough to make him turn and throw up on the ground, the stench of blood mixing with his nauseating bile. Shade was crying softly as she pulled his dog tags off and slipped them onto her belt.

There would be time to remember their friend later. For now, they needed to know who commited this crime against nature. So, with heavy hearts, the two soldiers moved on into Canterlot Castle. Little did they know, the true horror was only beginning...

Canterlot Castle Laboratories - 18:45 Hours

A lone mare stood in the darkness of the lab, admiring her work. Inside of a glass tube at the end of a long line of empty ones and dead bodies, stood a huge stallion, it's eyes closed and breathing almost nonexistent. It was her creation, her child. Nopony could ever take this away from her. She made it, so it belonged to her. It was the son she could never have, but she always wanted. It was perfect in her eyes, and it would destroy anything she deemed imperfect.

A security camera saw two ponies enter the building with weapons in their hooves. This wasn't supposed to happen. The other subjects should have taken care of anypony foolish enough to come here. The mare just shrugged as she noticed she'd only have one choice; to release specimen number three. Yes, it would take care of the pests intruding inside of her new home. They would never get near her or her son.

With the flip of a switch and the push of a button, a metal door on the second floor opened, and a tank in the room beyond exploded outward as something broke through it. It stopped and sniffed the air before running down to the main entrance. The hunt was beginning...

***

Author's Note: And, with that, I end part 3 of Firefight, giving us two new protagonists, Vinyl and Quill, and two new antagonists, one unnamed mare and Agent Vertigo! Now, hopefully this has shone some light on my portrail of Derpy in this world, as you see that she isn't just a cold and merciless soldier, but also a caring and motherly pony who will help those in need. I think the next chapter should be done in around two weeks, but my time is prone to change, and, as of now, I am taking requests for characters! So, send a full bio, including name, weapon of choice, age, sex, personality, and preferably what side of this conflict you want them to be on! So, I hope you enjoyed this, and as always, see ya in the next chapter!


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